Word of the Year

Ok, I don't normally do things like this. I don't make big goals, I don't do resolutions, and I've never done a word for the year. But I've been feeling lately like I need something to work towards, something to keep me grounded. 

My word comes from a woman who knew me a total of about 2 minutes before instructing me to do it.

Breathe.

That's right, breathe.

I tend to get myself worked up and over little things. It happens so fast and so easy. 

Last night for example. Bug got into the tub of sugar. Not only did she get into the tub of sugar, but she poured it all over Moose's highchair tray while he was in it. When I found them they were both covered head to toe in sugar, eating it, pouring it, throwing it all over the kitchen. 

My response? To get onto Bug and tell her she was a bad girl. Dad's response? To laugh and whip out the camera and capture the moment. 

I should be enjoying these moments, looking at them as funny and something to laugh about later.

When it comes to crafting there's no exception. I am a bit of perfectionist. That seam doesn't line up perfectly? Rip it and do it again! I accidentally nip a piece of fabric? I tense up, throw down the scissors and stomp around the room for a few minutes. I know this all makes me sound like a bear, I'm not, really. I just let myself get worked up! 

I also over commit and then procrastinate and stress myself out trying to finish things up before a deadline. I like to say I work best under pressure, but in reality it just causes a lot of stress and heartache, fear that I'll let someone down.

The woman who told me to breathe? The shop owner of my local yarn store. I walked in with my very first knitting project on needles and proceeded to ask her a million questions. 

"Am I doing this right?"

"How do I fix this stitch?"

"Why is my knitting so tight?"
"Am I using the right needles?"

"Is this yarn ok?"

"Just Breathe" she said.

So, my word for the year is Breathe. I'm going to remind myself of this whenever something minor happens, something that's not worth raising my blood pressure over. 

I'd like to say I'm going to commit to less but I've already committed to round 2 of the For the Love of Solids Swap, the I-Spy Charm Swap, Pay it Forward 2012 and one quilt along. And it's only January 9th. Oh, and Bree and I are cooking up a little swap of our own. So instead of committing to less I'm just going to try to not procrastinate.

I'm also going to slow things down a bit. WIP Wednesday will still continue, but instead of listing every little thing I have going on I'll just focus on what I'm working on at that particular moment. Then maybe blogging that post won't stress me out too! lol 

I'm going to work on what I want to work on whenever I feel like working on it, and I'm not going to feel bad if a particular project sits for more than a month or two. I'll get to it eventually, and it will make the finish feel that much sweeter.